Dolphin’s ‘Sexual Behaviors’ Lead French Town To Ban Swimming

The local mayor “issued the decree to preserve the safety of people.”

6 months ago

People in a small northwestern French town are being ordered to stay out of the water because a lonely, “lovelorn” male bottlenose dolphin is endangering the safety of humans with his “pushy” and “aggressive” antics, the Washington Post reports.

The dolphin, nicknamed Zafar, kept a female swimmer from returning to shore, and lifted another out of the water with his nose because he’s “in heat,” according to a marine mammal expert who spoke to the French newspaper Ouest-France. Known for months to be playful with humans — even allowing them to “ride” his dorsal fin — Zafar is a “social outcast” among dolphins, and needs attention from somewhere else, the Post reports.

The mayor of Landevennec, Roger Lars, is determined that the attention isn’t from swimmers and tourists soaking up the summer’s last few rays. Lars issued a bylaw to keep people out of the water when Zafar is around, saying he “issued the decree to preserve the safety of people.”